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But Qiao Ranran knew this man was ruthless and full of schemes.

"Is Doctor Tao here?"

"Doctor Tao is out on a house call."

The words had barely left her mouth when Doctor Tao appeared at the door with his medicine case on his back. He froze when he saw who was in the clinic.

"Immortal Master?" Suddenly realizing why Xiang Rongxi had come, Doctor Tao, already sweating from his run, turned even paler. His helpless gaze fell on Qiao Ranran.

Xiang Rongxi's thoughtful gaze settled on Qiao Ranran too. Then he smiled. "Thanks to Miss Tao's help the other day, we found the Demonic Cultivator's lair and rescued the other innocent children."

Doctor Tao wiped his brow and ushered Xiang Rongxi toward a seat for guests. "Of course, of course. It was the least we could do."

Qiao Ranran lowered her eyes and smiled to herself. This was how Xiang Rongxi always behaved: despite being a cultivator, he could appear courteous and approachable before ordinary people, without the slightest air of superiority. But she knew he came from a family of cultivators and was exceptionally gifted. He looked down on ordinary people as if they were ants. If he was putting on this act for Doctor Tao, he had to be after something.

"I mentioned before that your daughter has considerable talent for cultivation. We're leaving today to return to our sect, and we'll be taking several talented children with us. But we haven't seen your daughter."

His every word was measured, even gentle and refined. Perhaps Qiao Ranran was biased, but she couldn't shake the feeling that he was up to no good. Seen in that light, Tao Doudou's disappearance in her previous life hadn't come out of nowhere.

"Well..." Doctor Tao stole a glance at Qiao Ranran and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. "My Doudou is still so young. I can't bear to part with her. I thought I'd wait a few years, until she can look after herself... Besides, bringing such a small child along would only cause you trouble, wouldn't it?"

When Xiang Rongxi had discussed this with Doctor Tao before, the doctor had been torn, but he had clearly been willing. Now, only a few days later, he had changed his mind. It seemed to have a great deal to do with the young woman Xiang Rongxi had met once before.

"Miss..." Xiang Rongxi smiled faintly, his gaze resting heavily on Qiao Ranran. "May I ask which sect you study under?" She had yet to draw spiritual energy into her body, but from what he could tell, she had already begun cultivating and was at the Pre-Heaven Stage. Her talent probably wasn't much to speak of, though.

There were bound to be plenty of small sects in this remote region. Encountering a disciple or two would be nothing strange, so Xiang Rongxi naturally assumed Qiao Ranran belonged to one of them.

But the young woman before him answered with the same faint smile, "None." Perhaps she had once belonged to a sect, but she seemed to have spent far longer as an unaffiliated cultivator.

"Oh?" Xiang Rongxi's smile deepened. Her answer confirmed his suspicion: she was no ordinary young woman. "Is there a sect you'd like to join?"

"Not at present."

"What a pity." Xiang Rongxi had ulterior motives, but he wasn't one to keep pressing. He was more inclined to destroy anything he couldn't control before it became a problem.

Qiao Ranran knew that neither she nor Tao Doudou posed a threat to him yet, so she dared to answer him that way. Otherwise, given her current strength and the shadow he had cast over her previous life, she truly wouldn't have had the nerve.

Xiang Rongxi came and went in a hurry. He had appeared out of nowhere, exchanged a few words, then turned and left, leaving Doctor Tao bewildered.

"He's... he's gone already?"

"He's gone." Qiao Ranran had finished writing the prescriptions. She waited for the ink to dry before handing them to Doctor Tao. "Immortal Masters are proud like that."

Doctor Tao gave her a doubtful look, but the moment he saw the prescriptions in his hand, his eyes lit up. He gripped the papers, his excitement rising. "These are? These are?"

"The prescriptions for Nourishing Pills and Blood Coagulation Pills. I made a few adjustments to the ingredients so they use common medicinal herbs. They won't be quite as effective, but they'll be enough for ordinary use."

Doctor Tao stared at Qiao Ranran in shock. "Why would you give me these, Immortal Maiden?"

"Thank you for looking after me these past few days, Doctor Tao. It's the least I can do." They were only a couple of simplified prescriptions; to her, they were nothing much. But the Tao Family Clinic had given her somewhere to stay after she left the Clear Feather Sect, along with the time and peace of mind to plan her path forward.

"Immortal Maiden, are you leaving?"

Qiao Ranran nodded.

Doctor Tao hesitated. Still, he knew Qiao Ranran had only stopped in Clear Spring Town temporarily. Sooner or later, she would leave. "Take care, Immortal Maiden."

"I won't say goodbye to Doudou. She'd cling to me and refuse to let go." She would probably throw herself around Qiao Ranran's leg and sob. Qiao Ranran couldn't help smiling. "If you still want to send Doudou to a sect, the Heavenly Evolution Sword Sect is a good choice. Cultivators from the Profound Heart Sect will pass through here soon, too. You could take her to try her luck. Doudou really is young, so if you're worried, you can keep her home for a few more years. Few cultivators come to remote Clear Spring Town, but in Sunset Glow Town, cultivators visit every ten years to select talented children. You can ask around."

Tears glistened in Doctor Tao's eyes. "Yes, yes. I understand..."

Apart from a little loose silver, Qiao Ranran didn't have so much as half a Spirit Stone. She could get by in a town, but she was far too poor to cultivate. Right now, she was at the Pre-Heaven Stage and couldn't even be called an unaffiliated cultivator. She was only a little more agile than an ordinary person and couldn't afford a storage bag.

She hadn't been idle these past few days. She had carefully gone over everything she had experienced or heard about in her previous life, all for the sake of cultivation resources. She wanted nothing more to do with the man who had killed her with a single sword thrust in that life, but that didn't stop her from getting to a few resources before he did. Partly, she wanted to make things difficult for him. Partly, she wanted some compensation for herself. Otherwise, she couldn't swallow her anger.